I usually respond that it's the joy of the Lord and get back something along the lines of "Well, I've got that but not like you." I know they do, but it just shows in a different way than it does in me so I continue to explore - just why am I so happy?
It's certainly not because life is easy and everyone around me is happy. My own children prove on a regular basis that my happiness is not shared by them, (although they both have a great sense of humor!) And life - well, it's 2020...enough said about that.
Today I was struck by a random thought. Maybe I'm so happy because it makes me happy to be happy. It is what makes me tick. I LOOK for things to make me happy! It might be a flower I pass on my walk or a dog that greets me with a barking "Go, Donna Go!" as I pass their yard or a beautiful blue sky or a turtle that comes up to inspect my gardening - that one happened yesterday. I smiled about that for the rest of the time I spent out there sweating! There are a million little things that make me smile each day and being happy makes me happy!
I know that there's a lot out there right now to make people unhappy - angry even. I recognize that there is pain and awful things in the world that try to steal our joy - things that just aren't right. But even in this, I know that somehow, someway, God is going to use this to bring about a good outcome and bring us closer to Him. I don't believe God causes the evil, but I do have the promise that which was meant for evil, God uses for good. (Genesis 50:20)
My students sometimes ask me if I watch ______ (usually a scary show) and I tell them no. I really do try to live by the verse that says whatsoever things are good, noble, pure - think on these things.
I realize all this sounds sort of "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms" and some would tend to believe that my "happiness" is an indicator of my lack of intelligence or that I just don't understand what is going on in the world. Maybe they are right, but I will tell you that it is hard work to be this happy. And I have my moments of sadness - and anger - but usually when they are the worst I realize I have spent way too much time looking at and listening to all that is wrong in the world instead of spending time listening to praise to the One who can make a difference.
Last night, I turned off the tv, put away the computer and Facebook, and picked up a book I haven't read in years. It was Joshua and the Children by Joseph Grizone. I love the Joshua series because it helps me refocus and think "What would Jesus do?" Not the slogan type WWJD, but really asking myself how can I react and act more like Him. It helped me refocus on "whatsoever."
So why am I so happy? I guess the answer is because it makes me happy and I like it that way. If you need a happiness boost, here's a song by Zach Williams to get you started: don't let nothing steal your joy!
Philippians 4:8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Photo by MI PHAM on Unsplash
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